Time Heist Consequences and Branch Reality Outcomes
Ever since came out, I have been fascinated by the alternate timelines/branch realities that the film created. Now, I've had a knack for history for a while now, and most of that really is figuring out how one event lead to another in regards to major historical events as well as events within the . Anyways, I've decided to craft multiple scenarios as to how the branch realities of 2012 and 2014 could continue in the new continuities they've established, as a thought experiment, while also taking in other MCU events into account to see if the branches contradict an initial event from occuring. With that out of the way, let's get into what I could predict for these branch realities. 2012 New York Time Heist Captain America's Dilemma The 2012 reality is a complicated one for Captain America and HYDRA, since HYDRA believes Cap knows of their infiltration into S.H.I.E.L.D., but it was actually future Cap and not present Cap, while present Cap believes Bucky is alive after "Loki" (actually future Cap) told him so. Anyways, I believe that Alexander Pierce, the head of HYDRA, would be made aware of this troubling news and become suspicious if Cap actually knows of HYDRA's infiltration or if it was legitimately "Loki" in disguise. So, Cap would talk to Pierce about Bucky which will lead to Pierce decided to call in the STRIKE team to bring Cap to the Winter Soldier room, where Pierce than commissions for the Winter Soldier's restrains to be removed while the STRIKE team proceeds to lock Cap in the room with the Winter Soldier. This way, Cap is alerted that "Loki" was indeed right about Bucky being alive, while also discovering him as the ruthless Winter Soldier, who, now de-restrained, begins to assault Cap. Pierce staged this assault in order to deduce if Cap really knew of HYDRA's infiltration or if "Loki" had a lucky guess, the latter meaning that the Winter Soldier would be allowed to kill Cap if Cap couldn't dismantle him, a feat he could accomplish if he was allied with HYDRA. Of course, Cap does not know of HYDRA's infiltration in S.H.I.E.L.D. and, since he has no means of dismantling the Winter Soldier's attack, Cap only can defend himself and try to incapacitate his old friend. This could escalate in either Captain America's needless death or his escape if Pierce hesitates the former occurring, due to its implications. Pierce rushes down to the facility and demands the STRIKE team to release Captain America and restrain the Winter Soldier, with a bloody and injured Cap being reassured by Pierce for the "accident" to not occur again. After Cap asks what happened to Bucky, Pierce lies by telling the wounded soldier that S.H.I.E.L.D. had a private ops mission to raid Zola's headquarters where he had previously experimented on Bucky and had given him his cybernetic implants and memory-suppression, assuring Cap that the Winter Soldier had only been used by S.H.I.E.L.D. for continued stealth ops when necessary, while the majority of times Bucky was kept cryo-frozen. While this branch reality ensures that Steve is aware of Bucky's survival and role as the Winter Soldier, he remains ignorant to HYDRA's continued existence until the organization hijacks Project Insight in 2014. This means that HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s simultaneous downfall still occurs as it regularly would, Steve's knowledge about Bucky means that HYDRA's plans to eliminate Nick Fury after he becomes suspicious about Project Insight would need to be changed, but the likelihood of HYDRA being discovered is still utmost possible since Steve and Natasha would still possess the USB drive containing the sensitive Insight information that would lead them to Arnim Zola, who informs them of HYDRA's continued existence and plans. Therefore, all events that occur afterward, especially on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers conflict with Ultron and the eventual civil war, would remain the same. Loki's Sudden Escape Anyways, with Loki's escape with the Tesseract, nobody knows where he leads to. The notable occurrence was that in the original timeline, after the Battle of New York, Thor used the Tesseract to take himself and Loki back to Asgard, since the Bifrost Bridge was previously destroyed in Thor. Upon returning to Asgard, Thor gave the Tesseract to Heimdall who used its properties to reconstruct the Bifrost Bridge, therefore allowing Asgard to intervene across the Nine Realms and restore peace. However, since Loki escapes with the Tesseract, he never allows it to be used to reconstruct the Bifrost Bridge, thus preventing Asgard's interference during the Nine Realms' chaos and preventing Thor from returning home unlike he did originally. Since Thor can't return to Asgard after numerous attempts, he inevitably decides to stay with Jane Foster and adopts a civilian life where they move to Australia, while Thor also continues to act as a hero and Avenger when needed. I don't know what could happen to Loki as the Disney+ Loki series is already handling that and it involves time travel, which makes the show more unpredictable. Also, in the 2012 branch reality, Thor wouldn't be able to bring Jane Foster to security on Asgard when the Dark Elves arrive, considering if Jane still investigates the Convergence and uncovers the Aether. Either way, Thor can't defend Asgard without the Bifrost Bridge, as Loki likely wouldn't use the Tesseract to reconstruct it, so the Second Dark Elf Conflict wouldn't need to reach Asgard anyways, meaning Frigga isn't effortlessly killed by Kurse. Instead, it's a higher likelihood that without Jane stealing the Aether, Malekith would actually be able to use its properties to spread darkness across the Nine Realms using the Convergence portals. However, there could be means that the Asgardians fend it off, but they have a higher chance of failing unless Malekith is killed in some way. Either way, it is likely that the Asgardians would be able to eventually contain the Aether, however since they would not have the Tesseract in their possession, they would be unlikely to have hesitance towards keeping the Aether in their possession, since they only gave it away to Taneleer Tivan due to them already possessing the Tesseract. It was because of Tivan's possession of the Reality Stone that he sought out the location of the Orb (Power Stone) which he later informed Gamora of. Gamora gave the Orb's location to Thanos who affiliated with Ronan the Accuser to send Korath to retrieve the Orb on Morag, meanwhile, Tivan, fearful that Thanos' involvements would lead to Gamora's failure in retrieving the Orb, contacted the Broker to get him the Orb for the same price he'd of given Gamora. The Broker thus hired the Yondu Ravager Clan to steal the Orb from Morag, with Peter Quill overhearing Yondu and the Broker's conversation and stealing the Orb for himself after an encounter with Korath. This lead to Quill's failed attempt at selling the Orb and his arrest alongside Gamora, Rocket and Groot where they partnered with Drax to escape from the Kyln and sell the Orb to the Collector, only for a drunken Drax to give their location to Ronan who attacked them and stole the Orb, making his way to decimate Xandar, only to be killed by the newly formed Guardians of the Galaxy using the Power Stone against him. This means that in the 2012 branch reality, without Asgard's possession of the Tesseract, they would likely keep the Aether instead of handling it to Tivan, therefore preventing the mass crusade for the Orb that resulted in it's handling to the Nova Corps and the Guardians of the Galaxy's formation, which also resulted in the group's confrontations with Ego and the Sovereign and the creation of Adam Warlock; all of which would be averted in the branched reality. Meanwhile, since Loki had previously evaded being put into confinement at the Asgardian Dungeons following the Battle of New York, it is unlikely that he would be involved to fend off Malekith at Svartalfheim, where he initially faked his death and later traveled back to Asgard to intercept Odin and banish him to a retirement home on Earth. Since those events don't happen, Odin is likely to remain able to enter Odinsleep when need be, instead of his death occurring in late 2017, meaning that Hela's arrival would actually be delayed in the 2012 branch reality and Thor would not be forced to have Loki resurrect Surtur to destroy Asgard. Also, Asgard's destruction was pivotal in allowing Thanos' forces to invade Earth and launch the Infinity War, as Earth was always under Asgard's protection and would intervene in war if Thanos had attempted an invasion while Asgard was still capable of intervening. This is why Loki got away with summoning the Chitauri in his attempt to subjugate Earth when Asgard was immobilized after the Bifrost Bridge was destroyed. This means that without Asgard's destruction to defeat Hela, Thanos' campaign is also delayed. Unfortunately, due to Hela's arrival being delayed, Thor and Loki will not be arriving on Sakaar anytime soon, meaning Hulk and Valkyrie remain on the planet at the behest of the Grandmaster, since Hulk's departure following the Battle of Sokovia is not affected. This means Hulk would actually get a chance to continue developing his own personality outside of Bruce Banner, instead of Banner having a chance to return due to Thor's arrival being absent. To see where Hulk and Valkyrie's story continues in this branched reality, see ''Seething Sakaaran Shindigs.'' 2014 Cosmic Time Heist Thanos' Disappearance In 2014, Thanos' forces; consisting himself, Gamora, Nebula, Ronan, Korath, the Other, countless Sakaarans, Chitauri, Chitauri Guerrillas, Outriders, and Leviathans; all travel to 2023 and partake in the Battle of Earth where they inevitably get disintegrated by Tony Stark using the Infinity Stones in an act of sacrifice, just like in Endgame. However, what interests me is what happens in the branch reality de to Thanos' disappearance and the Time Heist intervention. So, when Rhodey and Nebula arrived on Morag, they incapacitated Peter Quill and stole the Power Stone (albeit Nebula's kidnapping, but she still returns to 2023). So, after Thanos' forces disappear to 2023 and are killed, Steve Rogers arrives in 2014 to return the Orb after Thanos' forces disappear. After Steve returns the Orb, he notices a ship hovering above Morag, slowly descending. Steve retreats to another branch reality to return the next Stone, while the Yondu Ravager Clan arrives on Morag looking for Quill and the Orb. Yondu gets out and finds Quill incapacitated on the Morag surface. Yondu had previously reckoned that Quill had betrayed them and intended to steal the Orb to get the money for himself, with Yond sending another Ravager to investigate the Temple and see if the Orb is still intact. Upon discovering the Orb to be in the Temple, Yondu has Quill taken back on board the ship and the Orb retrieved, where the Ravager Clan proceeds to Xandar to sell the Orb to the Broker. After the Ravagers leave Xandar, the Broker proceeds to contact his partner, Taneleer Tivan - the Collector, who had previously acquired the Reality Stone from the Asgardians and was adamant to collect all six Infinity Stones. With the Broker giving the Orb in his possession, Taneleer Tivan proclaims that if two Infinity Stones were that easy, the other four would be more difficult, but still deciding to embark on his quest. To see where the Collector's story continues in this branch reality, see ''The Collector's Crusade.'' Also, since there would be no conflict over the Orb, the Guardians of the Galaxy would never be brought into formation. The culminating conflict over the Orb on Xandar, in which Peter Quill divided the Power Stone's abilities alongside Gamora, Drax, and Rocket to kill Ronan, had allowed Ego to deduce that the human male who wielded the Stone had to be his son he had with Meredith. This means that Ego would not be able to find Peter Quill as soon as he did, but once he would, there wouldn't be an offensive force like the Guardians of the Galaxy or the Ravagers confronting him to prevent him from using Quill's Celestial genes to assimilate the universe in his expansion. Also, since the Guardians of the Galaxy never become saviors of the galaxy, they never become employed by the Sovereign and never end up stealing the batteries that spurs the two groups conflict with each other, ensuring that the High Priestess Ayesha has no intention to artificially create Adam Warlock. Altho, in the 2014 branch reality, Thanos' disappearance would prevent the deaths of countless lives during the Quest for the Orb on the Kyln and Xandar, as well as those killed by Thanos on Xandar, the Asgardian refugee ship, as well as preventing those killed during the Snap and the permanent deaths from indirect causes of the Snap's aftermath. However, the branch reality would not prevent the Ultron Offensive and the Avengers Civil War, as those events were already put in motion by the Chitauri Invasion and would not be affected by Thanos' disappearance in 2014. Category:Red Shogun Category:Marvel Category:Time travel